Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko are now totally dominant in the heavyweight division, but like us all, they are not getting any younger. In this age of the giant-sized heavyweight boxer, where will the challenge to their superiority come from and who are the younger pretenders to the throne?
Vitali (40 years old) and Wladimir Klitschko (35), seem to have been at the summit of the division for ever, being the current holders of the WBO, WBC, IBF and WBA (super champion) titles between them. But there are other heavyweights out there, ready and willing to take their shot at any of the belts that might be on offer.
Alexander Povetkin - WBA Regular World Heavyweight Champion
32 year old Russian Povetkin, won the vacant WBA title fight against unfancied southpaw, Uzbekistani, Ruslan Chagaev in August 2011. Winning by unanimous points decision, the unbeaten Russian didn't seem to be in any real danger at any time during the bout, except for being shaken in the sixth round by a left hand shot.
Potvetkin likes to keep active and is convinced he still needs more ring experience before coming up against either of the Klitschko's. He is lined up to defend his title in December, against an un-named opponent as yet.
Robert Helenius
Many peoples idea of the next champion is German based Finn, Robert Helenius. At 27 and utilising a fighting weight of around 240lbs, the 6ft 6½in WBO and WBA Inter-Continental title holder, has recently taken some good scalps, such as Belarussian Siarhei Liakhovich and an impressive 9th round knockout of Nigerian Samuel Peter.
Top of the WBO's rankings, Helenius is now considered to be Vitali Klitschko's number 1 challenger, although he remains very philosophical regarding his chances. He claims to be very ambitious however and promises there is much more to come. It certainly would be interesting to see this "Nordic Nightmare" pitched up against one of the brothers.
David Haye
The Hayemaker has made it clear that he is prepared to delay his promised retirement should one of the Klitschko's be prepared to face him again. After losing to Wladimir on a unanimous points decision back in July, Haye claimed to have broken a toe, which he put up as the main reason why he seemed very cautious throughout the fight.
The pre-fight press conferences were full of intense bad feeling, with Haye insulting his opponent at every opportunity. Because of the Londoner's behaviour, it is highly unlikely that the Ukrainian brothers, who both found the insults more than distasteful, would be interested in a re-match.
Tyson Fury
The youngest of all the pretenders, Anglo-Irish hope Fury at 23, is still very raw and a good way off from World title consideration. The 6ft 9in giant came to prominence when beating fellow Briton Dereck Chisora for the British and Commonwealth title, in what was dubbed "the big brawl to settle it all".
Named after Mike Tyson, Fury was caught early in the fight by a left-right combination, which had him reeling for a few seconds, but in a brutal 12 round contest he came through, impressively winning on points.
Of Irish traveller stock, his next bout was in Belfast against American Nicolai Firtha, who had previously lost on points to Alexander Povetkin. Winning by a TKO in the 5th, when the referee, somewhat prematurely many thought, stopped the contest, his performance was at times ragged and at one stage in the 3rd he looked very vulnerable indeed. Fighting at his lowest weight for 18 months (253lbs), he seemed a little flabby and possibly not in prime condition.
Other Contenders
Over the years the American domination of the division has shifted towards Europe. The top 2 ranked Americans, Eddie Chambers and veteran southpaw Tony Thompson are scheduled to meet each other next month in an IBF title eliminator. Both men, who hold identical 36-2 records, have been previously knocked out by Wladimir and there is no reason to suggest why a repeat would not be on the cards again.
Vitali's last opponent, the Pole Tomasz Adamek, was comprehensively beaten and it is not clear at this time whether he intends to continue his career at this weight, return to the Cruiserweight ranks or call it a day.
Current European champion Alexander Dimitrenko puts his title on the line against Briton Michael Sprott this coming Saturday in Hamburg. The German/Ukrainian has only been beaten once before, when losing a majority points decision to Eddie Chambers in July 2009. It has been mentioned that if he retains the title, his next defence may be against Tyson Fury in November.
It remains to be seen if any of the contenders are good enough to mount a serious challenge to the Klitschko's. Helenius and Potvetkin seem to be currently ahead of the field, but it seems more than likely the Ukrainian heavyweight dominance will continue into the foreseeable future.
Sources
- boxrec.com
- skysports.com
- boxingnewsonline.com
- Channel Five TV
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